A Little Exposure....

I have received 2 awards lately!! And I need to acknowledge them and pass them on....

My first award was given to me by Gina over at Namaste By Day. It is the official Seal of Awesomeness. How awesome is that? Gina is a very good friend of mine IRL and I love reading her blog and keeping up with her crazy little man L and everything else she has going on.



All I have to do is pass this on to five blogs that deserve the Official Seal of Awesomeness. And they are...

Jillian at It all began with a man in a black jeep
Erin over at inkOBSESSION designs
Mike at Badass Geek
Sarah over at A Page in the Book
Emily at Yes I'm on my way

My next award was given to me from Brittany Ann over at Living in the Moment. Brittany's blog is so cute. If you have never read it, you should check it out. Thanks Brittany, I love my Superior Scribbler Award!!


I have to display this on my blog and pass it on to 5 other Superior Scribblers. And here they are....

Joanne at Espenshade's Escapades
Maggie Mae at Flux Capacitor
Myshka at My London Eye
Elle Charlie over at Sometimes a Girl Needs a Blog
Brooke at From the Canvas to the Kitchen

Then these oh-so-lucky winners go here to add your name to the Mr. Linky list at the Scholastic-Scribe's blog so they can keep track of who has won this award.

Both of these awards required little effort on my part, all I had to do was simply pass them on to others. Although I am honored and tickled pink to receive them, this has left me wanting more. In response to that longing, I am going to start up a brand new award. One that I have made up... although I can't guarantee there isn't a similar floating one around out there somewhere. Some of you may not be up to this challenge, and some of you will be all over it! Let's see what you got!




This is the "Expose Yourself" award. And in order to accept this award and pass it on, you are going to have to do a little "exposing" if you will.

Tell us 3 things about your sex life. You can make them whatever you want and it doesn't necessarily have to pertain to your current partner (or a partner at all for that matter). You can talk about your likes or dislikes, your kinky fetishes or your secret desires. You can tell us a funny story about the time you were having sex in the woods with your old boyfriend and you both ended up with 1,000 tics. Whatever you want... its totally up to you!

So I guess it would only be fair for me to start things off....

1. When my husband and I first started sleeping together, we went to a winery with a some of his friends that I was meeting for the first time. You know how it is, when you are first "getting to know each other" and you can't keep your hands off of one another. Add a really strong wine drunk to that and we were in trouble. We snuck off into the woods and found ourselves making out behind a big tree. One thing led to another, and well, yeah, we had sex. It was hot and it was steamy and it was so close to the other patrons of the winery we could still hear them talking and laughing and drinking their wine, which made things even more fun. We found our way back to our table and we were both a hot mess. Between my sweaty, disheveled hair and our now wrinkly clothing I am sure it wasn't a big secret to our friends what had went down. Luckily by then everyone was so wine drunk, no one gave it a second thought. It may have been a bit trampy, but it was totally worth it!

2. I have heard from many other pregnant woman how wonderful sex can be or how difficult it can be while you are pregnant. I have to admit, I am a little jealous of those that think pregnancy actually makes their sex lives better. For me... not so much. Things change downtown and it can make things a little harder to work with. The first trimester was pretty much a wash. I was too tired and zombie like to enjoy much intamacy. I didn't leave the hubs completely high and dry... but close enough. Things were alot better during the 2nd trimester, much to my husband's relief, I'm sure. The third trimester has been another story. This big belly gets in the way and can be very awkward to work around. Plus, I am just larger in general... so everything seems like a lot more work. Plus there's a baby there... some things just don't seem quite as sexy, if you know what I mean. Don't get me wrong, I still enjoy our "intimate" time together, we just have to be patient and sometimes a little creative. I am, however, really looking forward to getting my body somewhat back to normal and really making up for lost time!

3. I have totally wondered about being with another woman. I haven't ever acted on it, but the thought has definitely crossed my mind. I have a huge crush on Angelina Jolie and if she ever gave me an indecent proposal, I may not say no.

So there you have it. Once you receive this award, expose your 3 sexual secrets, you must then pass it on to 5 fellow bloggers. I am going to pass this award on to (drum roll please)....

Anrazel at Companion to the Wind
Toni at Craw Digger
Gina at Namaste By Day
Nikki over at Flat Foot Floozy
Brittany Ann Living in the Moment

Alright.... let's get to it!

Lets Go Camping!! (oh and a Tag! Your It!)

I am so excited for this holiday weekend. I have taken off work Friday and we are leaving in the morning to go camping!

I have never been camping while pregnant before, so this should be interesting. I absolutely love camping, but I have to admit, I haven't been sober for a whole camping trip since I was about 15. I know I will still have fun, but I am pretty sure I am going to be wishing I could have a little alcohol too. I am also a little concerned about the sleeping situation (and I am definitely bringing the Beast along!). Its going to be rough leaving the tent a gazillion times to pee. I have been seriously considering picking up one of those portable toilets at Walmart. Ya know, one of these:
Then I could get a little mini tent for it and put it right next to our main tent. Too bad they are $100 +, other wise I would get one fo sho. But then again if I did, everyone else would want to use it too and that would just be really gross. But then I would sound like a bitch when I told everyone else they couldn't use it. And I would get stuck cleaning it all by myself. Having to deal with my own waste is one thing, but other peoples? Yuck. So its probably better that I don't. Oh well.

Alcohol free and unrelenting bladder aside, I am really looking forward to getting outdoors and enjoying some nature. We will be camping next to a beautiful 25 acre lake. There are hiking trails around the lake and they keep up with the grounds very nicely. The park is run by the state, but the campground is in the middle of nowhere, in a tiny little town of about 420 residents and there are only about 14 camping sites total and hardly any one else ever camps there. There will be other people there this weekend, but mainly because its a holiday weekend and most likely the majority of the campers will be from the local town. There are no amenities here, no electricity, no running water, no showers. There is a bathroom, but the toilets don't flush, just a deep, dark hole. For me, this is the only way to camp. Otherwise what is the point? (Now having a big fancy RV to travel the county and see the sites is a totally different story - thats okay in my book.)

My sisters and I have been camping with our families since we were babies and we love it! We have been camping at this particular place since I was about 16. My sister Amy and I worked at McDonalds for years while we were in highschool and we became pretty close with some of the other kids that worked there. One guy's dad used to take him camping at this place when he was a kid and he started taking all of us. We camped there alot for a few years with all of our McDonalds buddies and other friends. We don't hang out with that crew much anymore, but we still go camping there and now take our husbands and other friends. Its a bit of a drive for a weekend camping trip (4 hours), but its worth it to have all of the privacy and beauty that this place offers. You really feel like you are out in nature and you don't have other campers you don't know camping 10 feet from you (like all of the places that are closer to home).

So wish my pregnant ass some luck... hopefully I will still be able to have lots of fun! Luckily Amy is pregnant too, so I won't be totally alone. That will definitely help to have a partner in crime. I will report back next week on all of our adventures and some pictures!

In the meantime... I've been tagged!


Bridget, over at Living in the Moment, has tagged me for a game of Tag! I'm it! Here's the rules:

Rule A. Mention the person who nominated you.
Rule B. List six unimportant things that make you happy.

I think I can handle that. Here goes... you've paid for the whole seat, but you'll only need the edge! Woo Hoo! (okay I might be a little excited that in a couple of hours I am off work for a 4 day weekend!!!) And on a side note, I think that saying "unimportant things that make you happy", is a little contradictory. If it makes me happy, I consider it to be pretty important.

1. Flip-Flops or Sandals. As soon as the weather gets warm enough, I rarely have anything else on my feet. One good thing about being pregnant during the summer is, atleast I can put my fat, swollen feet in some flip-flops.

2. Maternity Underwear. I seriously thought it was ridiculous to buy special underwear just because you were pregnant. And they looked so big - like Granny Panties! But then my little thongs started digging into my belly in the front right underneath my baby bump and I thought I would try out a pair. I haven't gone back since, and I have purchased enough to survive not doing laundry for 2 weeks.

3. Sleeping with the windows open. There is something really special to me about being able to sleep with the windows open. It only happens for two short periods of time, in the spring and in the fall, but when it does I seem to sleep so much better.

4. Twix Candy Bars. Mmmmm.

5. My new Pineapple Cutter. Seriously, this thing is amazing. I can have a fresh pineapple cut up and ready to serve, along with an in tact shell that could be used for a drink holder or to serve the fruit in, and all in less then a minute. I love having fresh pineapple, but always hated cutting them up. Now that I have this hand dandy contraption, we have alot more fresh pineapple around the house.
6. Resale Shops. I love shopping second hand. I really like coming across random resale shops in other towns and checking out what they got. I am a sucker for a good bargain.

Now I guess I am supposed to tag other readers. Well I am going to tag Everyone! I am running out of time and have to finish up some things at work before I can leave for my weekend get-a-way, so tagging everyone will have to suffice. Besides, its fun and I know everyone wants to do it!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. I look forward to catching up with everyone when I return from our camping trip!

The Queen of Awesome and The (anticlimactic) Return of the Craigslist Underwear Model

I received a pretty snazzy award from my good buddy Gina over at Namaste By Day. Woo Hoo! Thanks Gina! I am tired today and wanted to blog, but my head is feeling a little fuzzy and I haven't been functioning at the top of my game (I am saving this topic for a whole other blog in itself). So I am grateful for the award... now I have a topic to focus on this Monday morning. This award is called the Queen of Awesome... err or rather the Queen of Awe-Summm?


My new role of Queen of Awe-Summm requires me to do the following:

1. List 7 things that make me Awe-Summm
2. Pass the award onto 7 bloggers that I love
3. Tag those bloggers to let them know they are now Queens too (and link back to the Queen who tagged you)

7 Things That Make Me Awe-Summm:

1. I am a pretty good cook. I'm no Wolfgang Puck, but I can hold my own.
   
2. I can throw a hoppin party.
3. I try really hard to be a good wife.
   
4. I try really hard to be a good daughter, sister and friend.
5. I am the queen of bargain shopping and seeking out really good deals and hard to find items.
6. I am a pretty talented graphic artist. I like to think so anyway.
7. I can shake my rump.
   

That wasn't that easy. Not that I don't think that I am awesome, but bragging on yourself isn't usually a recommended action. It feels kinda wierd really.

Okay, so now for the 7 other bloggers that I know are Queens:

1. Anrazel at Companion to the Wind
2. Little T at Craw Digger
3. Elle Charlie at Sometimes a Girl Needs a Blog
4. Seraphina
5. Jillian at It All Began With a Man and a Black Jeep
6. Maggie May at Flux Capacitor
7. Petra a.k.a. The Wise (*Young*) Mommy
   

I received an email last Thursday night from the "angry bitch" on craigslist. What a disappointment. It wasn't nearly as exciting as I had hoped, but here it is nonetheless....

From: "E1988Brown@aol.com"
To: xxxxx@yahoo.com
Sent: Thursday, May 14, 2009 11:39:14 PM
Subject: Re: 4 piece womens bedroom set - $300

well great now you know. Im aware of what I post

Now I know what? That she's an angry bitch? That she knew she was in her underwear? Or that she has the intelligence level of a spoon?

Is that all she's got? Why did she even bother? Boo.

Random Thursday Rantings (with an award!)

First of all... Thank You! Thank You! Thank You! for all of the baby item suggestions that I got! They are sooo very helpful and if you think of any more, please pass them along. I am all about guidance here... as I have never done this before.

The hubs and I are planning on venturing out on Saturday to start working on our registry. I can't wait! I am really looking forward to going and checking out all the baby items and picking out our bedding and all that warm and fuzzy stuff. First though, we are going to hit up the Winghaven annual garage sale, and we'll be starting at 6:30am! Winghaven is a very "well-to-do" neighborhood where their residents are only allowed to have a garage sale on one particular day a year. Last time we went, we made out like bandits. These people were practically giving this stuff away! And I found some really nice stuff... some of it brand new! I am hoping to get some good deals on some baby items. Cross your fingers for me!

Yesterday, I wore a pair of pants that I had not put on in almost 2 weeks. They seemed a little more snug in the belly, but I didn't think too much of it and rushed off to work. Once I got to my desk to sit down, I realized just how snug they were! Apparently my belly had gotten bigger then I had thought, because once sitting, these pants were so uncomfortable I could hardly stand it. The little munchkin was not happy about it either. You could literally feel her pushing back on my belly. I am sure she was thinking "get it away from me"!

So on my lunch break, I ran out to get a new pair of maternity pants. I felt so much relief after I got back to work and put them on in the bathroom. But, as I turned around to look in the full length mirror, I couldn't help laughing at myself in the reflection. I had traded in a pair of khaki pants for some jean capris. Since I was trying these on in the dressing room without my shoes on, I forgot to put the shoes into the final equation. I now had on jean capris, white socks, and black little tennies with velcro straps (you could barely see the socks in shoes when I had pants on). To be honest, I looked pretty ridiculous. I would have never left the house like this on purpose!

There was no way I could change back into the other pants - they were way too uncomfortable! So, for the rest of the day, I hid by my desk in my little corner hoping to not be too noticeable. When my boss was leaving the office, he looked at me, laughed and told me he would bring me back a lollipop. My fashion fopa could not even been missed by a 60 something year old man!

Oh well. Whatda gonna do? Atleast I was comfortable. That seems to take precedence over style when you are pregnant.

Tomorrow I will be 22 weeks pregnant. I am going to try really really hard to remember to take a belly pic and post it. Feel free to remind me... I have a tendency to forget alot of things these days.

Onto my award!! Brittany Ann over at Living in the Moment gave me Neno's Award. She's a young, newlywed, highschool teacher and her blogs are always entertaining.

With this award, I am to share why I love blogging so much. So here goes.

I actually started my blog a short while after 2 friends of mine, Anrazel and Gina, started theirs. I loved being able to keep up with their day to day lives, as it was not always easy to do otherwise. I had recently found out I was pregnant and I thought it would be fun to journal my journey. I was mostly thinking how cool it would be to be able to look back and remember what I was experiencing and feeling. I use to keep a journal and I loved being able to write down my thoughts. It always helped me to sort things out in my head.

But since starting my blog, it has become so much more then that! I hadn't even considered how much I would enjoy finding other blogs to read and having others read mine. It is so great to hear comments and receive advice from fellow bloggers. I love reading about other happenings around the globe and seeing, on such a personal level, other parts of the world, through other blogger's eyes.

Being able to write down my thoughts, and send them out into the blogosphere, has become something that I enjoy more then I could have imagined. It helps me to gain perspective and to sort out all of the random thoughts and ideas swirling around in my head. Meeting new people, finding connections, being inspired, and maybe even inspiring someone myself, has become something that I really look forward to each and every day.

I also look forward to keeping these connections for many years to come, and following my new friends and their lives.

And now, I am going to pass on the Neno's Award to a few others...

1. Anrazel at Companion to the Wind
2. Gina at Namaste by Day
3. Petra a.k.a The Wise (*Young*) Mommy
4. Jillian at It All Began With a Man and a Black Jeep
5. Elle Charlie at Sometimes a Girl Needs a Blog
6. Badass Geek
7. Toni at Craw Digger (I know you just started yours... but I figured you would have something to say;)

Happy Thursday Everyone!

A Game of 8's and a Little This and That

Gina, over at Namaste By Day, tagged me in a game of 8's.... Fun! Gina is one of my good friends in real life (I've known her since grade school) and I just love her, along with her hubby (her hubs and mine have been friends since they were little kiddos too) and her adorable little boy L.

This seems like some mindless fun to get through work on a Friday. Oh yeah, Happy Friday everyone! So... let the fun begin!

8 Things I Look Forward To:
1. My baby girl being born
2. My ass becoming smaller again once I have the munchkin
3. Going Camping Memorial Weekend
4. Finding out the sex of my sister's baby in a 6 weeks!
5. Figuring out what I am going to do with all my damn shoes (see below)
6. The Dairy Queen blizzard I am going to treat myself to this weekend
7. Dinner out for a friends 30th tomorrow
8. Sushi sometime this weekend... oh and next Tuesday... can't get enough of it

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
1. Went to my sisters for dinner
2. Finished cleaning/organizing/filing my office. Yay its all done!
3. Sold some items on craigslist
4. Watched some tv
5. Washed my car
6. Balanced my checkbook
7. Started cleaning out the closet in the nursery (see below)
8. Played with my nieces

8 Things I Wish I Could Do:
1. Stay home full time once the munchkin is here
2. Go on a long vacation this summer
3. Win the lottery
4. Be an amazing mother
5. Find my mom a new rewarding job and pay off their house and all of their bills
6. Pay off my own house and all of my bills :)
7. Speak Italian (I am going to learn btw)
8. Go on a month long hiking/backpacking/white water rafting trip

8 Shows I Watch: (In no particular order, and not on a regular basis. I actually don't watch much tv.)
1. Samantha Who
2. America's Next Top Model
3. The Office
4. 30 Rock
5. Southland
6. Chuck
7. Extreme Makeover, Home Edition
8. The New Adventures of Old Christine

8 Bloggers Who I Am Tagging To Do This: (I am not going to give this to anyone who is already doing it, so I don't have alot of people to give this to)
1. Elle Charlie at Sometimes a Girl Needs a Blog
2. Petra a.k.a The Wise (*Young*) Mommy
3. Maggie May at Flux Capacitor
4. Myshka at My London Eye
5. The Trailer Park Princess
6. Little T (start your blog damnit!)
7. & 8. Whoever else wants to do it :)

Okay... done with that.

I started cleaning out the closet in the nursery this week. Our house has such little closet space, I have been using the spare closet for my shoes and purses. Where the heck am I supposed to keep all of this crap now?!




I did order some under the bed shoe storage units, so hopefully I will be able to stash alot of the shoes there. But what am I going to do with all my purses? My next house MUST have a big walk in!

I thought you all might enjoy a picture of The Beast lounging in my bed.

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I am going to try to post a new belly pic soon... its getting bigger. And the munchkin has started doing acrobats in my belly the last couple days... I can really feel her now! Its one of the best feelings I have ever had.

Sexy Blogger Award - Ooh La La!

Gina awarded me the Sexy Blogger award. Awe thanks Gina! Me and G kinda have a thing for each other;) Well maybe not really, but we like to joke around about it and make the people around us wonder. Its fun.

So anyway, I am supposed to list five things that I think are sexy about myself and then pass the award on to other sexy bloggers. So here goes nuthin...

1. My eyes. I get alot of compliments on my eyes so I guess I could consider them sexy.

2. My personality. Some people would think its sexy, come people might think it can be too much. I know what I like and what I want, and I am not very shy about it. But I also think I am good at reading people and not pushing them. I also like to think that I am a very nice and caring person too. Hopefully I have found a good balance. I really do try.

3. My lap dancing. I have never done this professionally, but from time to time I like to give people a good lap dance:) Its usually only my friends at a club and I am joking around, but I have alot of fun with it. Anrazel has been the recipient of a few of these:)

4. My boobs (pre pregnancy). I think I have some pretty great boobs. They are a little too big right now, but hopefully they will go down again and somewhat back to normal after the baby and breastfeeding. I am not counting on it though.

5. My feet. I have always had some pretty nice feet and get compliments on them alot.

Okay so here is the blogger I would like to extend this award to. I am not going to give it to anyone Gina gave it too or anyone who gave it to her. That doesn't leave very many bloggers that I follow.... so I will just give it to one for now. I am still new to this site... so hopefully in time I can pass these out to more people.

1. Anrazel - She is one of the sexiest chicks I know. She has been my bestest friend for about 15 years now. She is one of the sweetest and cutest people I have ever known.... what could be sexier then that?


My first blogger award - Thanks G!

My friend Gina, who also happens to be one of my very dear friends in real life too (so yeah, she is obviously biased), gave my first blogger award yesterday.

So apparantly, I am to list 7 things I love and then pass on the award to 7 other bloggers that I love. Okay here goes....

1. I love Sushi. This is by far my favorite thing to eat. Before I became pregnant, I was eating sushi 2 or 3 times a week. After I became pregnant, I was told that I could not eat sushi, even if it didn't have raw seafood in it, because of the risk of cross contamination. I tried to stay away, but out of all the things I had to give up (yes including all alcohol), I was having the hardest time with sushi. Me and my sister even made some at home. It was good, but not the same. So I went to my favorite sushi restaurant a couple weeks ago and talked to the sushi chef. He wiped down and sterilized his entire station, along with all of his knives and everything else he used before he made sushi for me without any raw seafood in it (I had crunchy shrimp and a california roll). And he did it all with a smile! It was so delicious and I feel like he is going to make my entire pregnancy that much better. I will have to wait till the baby gets here to have my favorite, the spicy tuna.

2. I love it when spring comes along and it is 70 degrees outside and I can open all of the windows in my house after a long stuffy winter. There is usually a pretty short time frame here, during the spring and then again in the fall, when you can actually have your windows open all day. I absolutely love laying around with a good book while feeling the breeze coming in through the window.

3. I love camping. My family has taken me camping since I was a baby. I have been camping just about every year of my life, and usually several times. I just love being outside and sleeping under the stars. And when I say camping, I mean real camping, with a tent, and no electricity or running water. Real roughing it. As I get older, I reserve the right to change my mind on this. In the past few years, it seems I camp less, but we are planning a trip for Memorial weekend. I can't wait!

4. I love the look and smell of my house right after I finish cleaning it from top to bottom. I may have mentioned before what a neat freak I am. I am not kidding. I really am. And after I spend 8 hours cleaning my house, I love looking around and seeing how clean and nice everything is. This is sad, I know, but it is what it is.

5. I love jumping off really high things (e.g. cliffs, rope swings), into a big lake or river.

6. I love capri pants. When they first came out, I hated them. But, after I got used to them, I realized how awesome they are. I don't like wearing shorts, I never have, and pants are so hot during the summer, so these are a good compromise. I may not have had this on my top list, but they are fresh in my mind as I cheerfully unpacked them from the maternity clothes my friends have lent to me.

7. I love behaving like I am 10 years old. I do this more than I probably should. One of the reasons I am so excited to have children is so I have other people to act totally goofy with all the time.

Ofcourse, these are totally random and in no particular order.

So picking out 7 bloggers that I love is kinda hard since I just started blogging on this site and don't follow too many blogs yet. And some of the people I might have picked, G already picked in her list. So I am just going to forward this on to a few people for now...

1. Anrazel - companiontothewind.blogspot.com
2. Emma Jewel - emmajewel.blogspot.com
3. Brittany Ann - brittsbeat.blogspot.com

And Since I was only supposed to list "things" in my list, I also felt like mentioning, in addition, some "people" that I really really love.

I love my husband. So far, during my pregnancy, he has been so attentive and helpful, that it has only made me realize it even more.

I love my parents. I never forget or take for granted how much I love them and how much they mean to me. They are not just my parents, but my very good friends as well. I have alot of fun with them and I can always count on them for anything. I was a big, huge, pain-in-the-ass for them growing up, and I will never forget the patience, guidance and love that they showed to me. I owe a huge part of why I am who I am, to them. I just hope that I can be just as good of a parent to my children.

I love my sisters. They really are my best friends. We are all pretty close and are lucky enough to be able to see each other all the time.

And these are a few of my favorite things...